My adult son and I may have the opportunity to join my husband on a business trip to Milan this summer. As of yet it is undecided and we are looking into the possibility. We would be able to join him for about 10 days to two weeks. Other than spending several days in the Cinque Terre a couple years ago, we have not spent too much time in Italy. (Although we have been to several other European countries for longer periods of time). Our planning time is limited, as this trip will be sort of impromptu. What are some of the highlights, tips, and insights some of you can share as we decide whether we wish to invest in this opportunity. The details include that my husband would be working and not able to sight see too much, and we would basically stay in Milan with the possibility of some side trips. Thank you.
Posted by
Green Bay
20143 posts
Sounds like a great opportunity. If you are there for 2 weeks, you be able to score some Last Supper tickets. There's always the Duomo. EXPO 2105 is going on so you can check that out. The Navigli neighborhood has lots on happy hour bars.
Further afield, Varenna and Lake Como is just an hour north on the train. There is also Stresa on Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands.
Locals will give you lots of other suggestions while you're in town.
Posted by
California 🦋
5217 posts
Cynthia,
Here are other options you may want to consider as possible day trips from Milan....
Verona is an easy train ride that only takes about 1.5 hours from Milano Centrale.
You may also choose to day trip to Lake Garda; you'd take the train to Peschiera (travel time 1 HR, 7 mins.) then take a ferry to cruise to the nearby lakeside villages.
This is the websites to check ferry schedules:http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/g_comearrivare.html
You could even consider venturing out to Padua (Padova) or even Venice. Travel time 2hrs 7 mins. & 2 Hrs 35 min.
You may want to get an early start if you plan to visit Padua &/or Venice then maybe spend one night there so you don't have to trek back to Milan.
You can check train schedules here :http://www.trenitalia.com
Train stations you'd need to type when using above website:
- Verona Porta Nuova
- Peschiera Del Garda
- Venezia S. Lucia
Happy planning!
Posted by
Firenze
500 posts
Possible day trips from Milan are countless, the first coming to my mind are a day at Lake Como, Turin, Parma - but with fast trains places like Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Venice, Verona are well possible. Milan itself is not a prime tourism destination just because it has to compete in Italy with heavy weights like Florence, Venice and Rome, but has its share of museums and interesting things to do more than the average European city.
Posted by
NSW Australia
703 posts
Cynthia, I would second the Duomo, if you go there, go up on to the roof, the building it self is unbelievable, the detail and age etc. We loved our 4 day stay on Lake Como at Bellagio, so much to see there in the surrounding town, catching the boats acroos the lake, beautiful gardens to visit and villas like balbianello. this would be of interest for people of all ages. if you go to lake como, pick a nice day.
If I was in your shoes I would be there in a flash. as for Milan itself , we were not there all that long, but would go back.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Milan gets a bad rap because it doesn't match up with what most visitors want when they think of "Italy." That doesn't mean it's lacking in attractions, from the amazing Duomo roof, to early Christian churches, to art galleries and museums, to window shopping (unless you're rich) for designer goods, to real shopping in less expensive stores, to a spectacular cemetery. I also like it because its mass transit system (particularly the Metro) make it much easier to get around than other Italian cities, including smaller ones.
It's also more "European" and less "Italian" than other places in the country. For instance, it has a much greater variety of foreign foods than other Italian cities. I love Italian food, but in other places in the country it's hard to get anything else, and almost impossible for the anything else to be good. Similarly, I remember seeing a large line to get into a museum; when I got closer, I saw it was for a special exhibit of French art. Of course, most Americans don't go to Italy to see French art, but that to me epitomizes what makes Milan not just different, but interesting.
Rick's Italy book and his Milan video give a very good introduction to the highlights; the video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgFInCmXrPw
After defending Milan (I know no one here bashed it, but you will, sooner or later, come across Milan bashing), I agree that with your time frame you will want and need to see other places. You've gotten good ideas. I'll just add that Milan is the rail hub for all of northern Italy as well as being its gateway to Switzerland, so there are a lot of places you can see by daytrip, and even more if you do an overnight. For daytrips, Bergamo, Cremona, and Mantova (Mantua in English) are worth seeing. I haven't been to Pavia, but a friend liked it. I agree that Parma is very nice.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Bergamo is only about an hour by train from Milano, go to the Citta Alta. the Certosa di Pavia is very well known and an hour away.
Posted by
OP
USA
47 posts
Thank you for your help. It was exactly what I needed to aid my research. I do have the travel book and the dvds so they were valuable too. I appreciate your ideas.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
Cynthia, Harold's message nailed it – Milan is a wonderful city that sometimes is under appreciated because it feels more European than Italian. I think it easily deserves 3 days.
In addition to the standard stops – the Last Supper, the Duomo, and the Galleria – it has several wonderful late fourth century churches. Also the collections at the Ambrosian gallery/library and the Brera Gallery are very good. And while I'm not much of a shopper, some traveling companions found the shopping to be wonderful there.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Day trips to Bergamo and Pavia.
Overnight to the Italian Lakes and Turin.
A few days to Verona - Mantua - Modena - Parma.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15820 posts
Another vote here for Bergamo; it's dead easy from Milan by train, and Citta Alta is fascinating place to spend a day.
Poor Milan is constantly given a back seat to the Big Three (Rome, Florence and Venice) but it has some wonderful churches and museums, and as noted by others, is a great location for all sorts of day trips so by all means, grab your opportunity!